As expected of Fang Jun's virtuous wife, she did things beautifully and spoke even more beautifully. Cui Dunli admired her in his heart, clasping his fists and saying: "In that case, I will leave for now. If you have any request, I will inform Madam Wu."
"please."
"please!"
Cui Dunli left in a hurry, and ordered the officers of the Ministry of War and the porters on the pier to prepare in an orderly manner according to the imperial plan set before.
In a short time, more than a hundred merchant ships emerged from the night like wild beasts and sailed into the dock. The originally wide river surface suddenly seemed to be filled with countless schools of fish, densely packed with the entire river surface. .
The officials of the Ministry of War who were already prepared directed the civilian men of the Ministry of War and the porters at the pier to arrange for the ship to approach the berth, then stirred the winch and drove the boom to start lifting the ordnance tightly wrapped in oilcloth onto the cargo ship deck one by one, and then on its own The porter dragged it into the cabin.
The elites of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" were assigned to their respective teams, and each ship was supervised to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to sabotage and delay the loading process.
The entire pier was brightly lit, filling the sky with excitement.
Naturally, Li Junxian did not need to supervise every ship like his subordinates. Standing on the dock and looking at the fiery scene, he sighed: "At the end of the year, the general was also in the army. Whenever the transportation of ordnance, food and fodder was carried out, it would be very difficult." It was a long-lasting operation that cost people and money. Thousands of horse-drawn carriages and mule carts were used at every turn, and hundreds of thousands of civilian laborers were recruited. Not to mention that the difficult journey often lasted for several months. Even those who wanted to Attrition is an astronomical figure. Hence the saying, "Soldiers are the most important thing for the country." A big war often consumes the country's savings for several years or even more than ten years. Therefore, frontier soldiers often lack weapons, food, and flour. When foreign invaders invade, they always have the intention to kill the enemy, but they have no power to recover. However, since Erlang Guifu founded the Jiangnan Shipyard and improved the design and construction of ships, water transportation has become increasingly important. When going to places such as Northern Xinjiang and the Western Regions that are not suitable for water transportation, Now the Tang Dynasty can transport countless soldiers, ordnance, and food to any place in the southwest, Lingnan, and East China Sea within ten months. Not only is the loss minimal, but the speed is more than ten times faster than before. This is how the Tiger Ben of the Tang Dynasty came to be. The invincible brilliant achievements and Erlang’s contribution are not only for the country, but also for generations to come!”
These words were indeed made with emotion.
The outside world generally only sees Fang Jun's achievements in leading the navy across the seven seas to conquer the countries of the East and Southeast Asia, and even marching out of Baidao to overthrow Xue Yantuo. However, Li Junxian is always by His Majesty Li Er's side, and has a deeper understanding of Fang Jun's achievements. .
Although he had outstanding achievements in conquering foreign countries and quelling Mobei, it was not necessarily Fang Jun. If he had been replaced by world-famous generals like Li Jing and Li Ji, the results would not be much different.
However, Fang Jun invented and improved firearms, making them the main branch of the Tang army, completely overturning the pattern of warfare. Many foreigners who had once leaped on horseback, wielded swords and fought bravely were vulnerable to firearms. In particular, Fang Jun attached great importance to the sea and built shipyards to improve ship types, which made Datang's deterrent power on the oceans increasing day by day, bringing benefits like a tidal wave.
What is the war about?
To put it bluntly, it is nothing more than manpower and material resources.
There are even times when advanced ordnance and adequate logistical supplies can completely determine the outcome of a war.
From this point of view, Fang Jun can be said to have contributed most to the achievements of the Tang Dynasty. It is precisely because of Fang Jun's various suggestions and measures that the national power of the Tang Dynasty is growing day by day, and it is still growing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. He has already dominated the world and is proud of the world.
In this way, the Tang Dynasty's tigers and warriors rampaged across the world to open up new territories and expand their territory with unparalleled achievements!
Wu Meiniang stretched out her jade hand to touch her wind-blown temples, and said with a faint smile: "We women don't understand men's matters. We only know that we must be able to withstand the fall of men. When they are tired, When you are tired, it is enough to use a spoon with bare hands and know how cold it is and how hot it is. As for those so-called meritorious deeds, it is up to your majesty and courtiers to weigh them, to remember them in history, and to be praised by future generations, but what does it have to do with us women? What about relationships? We just need to silently support men when they make great achievements."
Li Junxian was stunned for a long time, and then he came back to his senses, shook his head, and said with a chuckle: "No wonder His Highness the King of Jin was so distraught when he saw Madam Wu. Such a virtuous, dignified, beautiful and intelligent woman, she took advantage of Fang Erlang!"
These words were a bit frivolous, but Wu Meiniang was not angry. Instead, she blushed slightly and said with a slight irritation: "Is General Li also following the example of King Jin in teasing others?"
Li Junxian said hurriedly: "I have absolutely no intention of doing this. It's just a temporary impression, so I can't express what I said. I hope Madam Wu won't be upset."
Wu Meiniang blinked, chuckled, and said: "The slave family is just joking, why should the general be like this? The general is different from the King of Jin. You and my husband have an irreversible friendship, admire each other, and can be regarded as close friends. We can also be said to be a family. Man, in the past, Lang Jun was punished by His Majesty for his mischief, but thanks to the general's change, he has suffered a lot less. Lang Jun and the general are well-connected, so why should he care about a mere joke?"
As he said this, Li Junxian leaned close to her heart and laughed: "As expected of a woman who doesn't give way to men, what else can a husband ask for when he has a concubine like this?"
It seemed a little disrespectful, but in fact, the distance between them suddenly narrowed.
It is true that I and Fang Jun have a good impression of each other and admire each other, but they are definitely not to the level of the so-called "family friendship". But after Wu Meiniang's words, the relationship between the two parties changed from good friends to close friends. Otherwise, how could they chat and laugh so happily with each other's concubine, but have no evil intentions?
What this woman is carrying is a heart and soul with seven exquisite orifices...
"It is said that Erlang was assassinated in Jiangnan. Fortunately, there was no danger. Now that the matter has been dealt with, he will probably return to Chang'an soon, right?"
"I received a letter at home yesterday. My husband has returned from Jiangnan. I just don't know what the ship he is traveling on is like or how fast he is, so the return date has not yet been determined, but I think it will only happen in a day or two."
Li Junxian nodded and looked around. The night was getting deeper and the cold wind was getting more and more biting. He tightened his cloak tightly and said with concern to Wu Meiniang: "It's windy here and it's very cold. Madam Wu has a delicate body, so she might as well Go to the house to stay warm, there are people watching from here, so there is no need to worry."
Wu Meiniang did feel a little cold, but Lang Jun had mentioned several times that Li Junxian was an important figure related to whether the prince could successfully ascend the throne, so when she had the opportunity today, she tried her best to build a relationship between the two families.
At this moment, hearing Li Junxian's words, he tightened his fur, smiled, and said softly: "Then General Lao will be here, but I won't go to the house over there. The conditions are simple, and His Highness the King of Jin is still alone. I felt uncomfortable and didn't dare to bother him anymore, so I went back to the carriage to rest for a while. If the general has something to do, he can send someone to let him know."
Li Junxian naturally knew what Wu Meiniang meant. She was deliberately avoiding King Jin, so as not to give King Jin an opportunity to ruin her reputation, so she said with a smile: "That's very good. You can go and have a rest. If anything happens, I'll be there." Send someone to fetch you.”
The two said goodbye to each other. Wu Meiniang, accompanied by the maid and the general, returned to the carriage and closed the carriage door. The maid had already taken out a small stove from the carriage, took two pieces of red-hot charcoal and placed them in the hand warmer. Zhong held Wu Meiniang's hands to warm them, then took the stove to the shaft of the car outside, made a pot of hot water, and brewed a pot of hot tea and placed it in the carriage.
Wu Meiniang was wearing a mink fur, holding a hand warmer, and took a sip of hot tea. Someone knocked on the car door outside.
"Ms. Wu, Erlang is back."
Someone outside approached the car and whispered.
Wu Meiniang felt happy and quickly asked: "Where are you now?"
"The ships are mixed among the ships coming from the south of the Yangtze River. They have just arrived at the dock. There are still important things to do at the moment, so I sent a young man to inform you and ask Madam Wu not to be anxious."
Wu Meiniang felt relieved, but immediately warned: "Go to Erlang immediately and tell him that today the 'Baiqisi' will use their best hands to assist the King of Jin in supervising the loading and transportation of ordnance, and ask him to be more careful and not to be caught. "
Although she didn't know what Fang Jun's mysterious return to Guanzhong was about, but he must be hiding something like this, which must be a big deal.
The man outside promised in a low voice, and when he saw that Wu Meiniang had no explanation, he left quickly.
In the carriage, Wu Meiniang frowned in thought.
Lang Jun returned to Guanzhong mysteriously, and it coincided with the Ministry of War loading ordnance and transporting it to Liaodong. It was obvious that he wanted to cause trouble.
However, delaying the transportation of ordnance can certainly damage the prestige of the King of Jin, but it will also affect the preparations of the Liaodong army. Such disregard of the interests of the empire will anger His Majesty. This is not like Lang Jun's style of caring for the overall situation...
